My New Year Resolution
by Sorceress Fantasia
Summary: Yugi's New Year resolution was to fix up his strained relationship with his boyfriend, Yami. But little does he know what Yami's New Year resolution is... Spinoffs: Anzu finds closure, and Jou gets stuck with Kaiba as his tutor. YYY and KJ
1. Yugi's New Year Resolution

Title: My New Year Resolution part 1

Author: Sorceress Fantasia

Pairings: YY/Y, K/J, mentioned YM/M

Warnings: Slight angst, some fluff, sap, romance, AU

Disclaimer: If I owned YGO, Yami would confess his everlasting love for Yugi in the first episode and kiss him at least once every episode. However, for those of you who have watched the manga and anime, you'd know that doesn't happen and so in conclusion, I do not own YGO or any of the characters.

Note: In this fic, Yugi's family owns a temple instead of a game shop. If you've watched Sailor Moon before, just picture Rei's temple and clothes and everything will be clearer. Also, take took that I don't actually know a lot about the traditions (all I know is from reading about it in mangas) so I'm taking some artistic license with the whole thing. Also, this fic is inspired by a Hollywood movie called 'When you were sleeping', which I highly recommend to those of you who enjoy romantic, sappy flicks.

Intro: Yugi's New Year resolution was to fix up his strained relationship with his boyfriend, Yami. But little does he know what Yami's New Year resolution is… (YY/Y and K/J)

* * *

"Class dismissed!"

It was as though a sorceress had uttered a magic spell of the highest degree, for every student, awake or asleep, suddenly jumped to his feet and within a few seconds, disappeared from the classroom. The English teacher, Miss Tyler, could only look on and sigh, wondering when she could get a new job. Preferably one that didn't have to deal with kids anymore. Absently, she fished around in her bag for some aspirin.

* * *

With empty classrooms came crowded corridors, as two boys had discovered a long time ago as they tried to squeeze themselves over to their lockers. It took a bit of shuffling, elbowing and plain shoving before they finally managed to get to where they wanted to.

"Phew! And Shizuka's been wondering why I seemed to have lost a bit of weight. How can you not when you have to play obstacle course everyday just to get to your locker?" the blonde grumbled, brushing a few errant bangs back as he concentrated on picking the lock of his locker.

"Jou, have you forgotten to bring your key to school again?"

"You know me best, Yugi. Woke up late this morning; I'm surprised I even managed to have breakfast before coming, but I guess I forgot to bring a few things…" Jou grinned sheepishly, but his bit of guilt was quickly wiped away by elation when he finally heard a click, and the lock came loose. In a matter of seconds, his locker door was swung open rather forcefully, causing the metal to ricochet off the closed locker on its side.

The one called Yugi sighed and shook his head, but did not say more as he was already quite used to his friend's forgetfulness. Replacing his textbook in his own locker, he glanced to his side and asked, "So how's Shizuka lately? I haven't seen her in weeks."

"She's okay. Just a little excited over being able to see again, so now she's been dragging mum all over town just to see everything. Says she loves to just sit there and watch the traffic lights change colours and see the cars move," Jou replied, a genuine smile blossoming on his lips as his eyes took a faraway look, as though he had fallen back into memory land.

Yugi knew what he was thinking about. Jou's younger sister, Shizuka, had been born with eye problems that only degenerated as she grew up. Just three years ago, she lost her sight completely, despite everything Jou and their mother did. The doctors had given them the bad news and only the bad news because they couldn't find anything good to say; for the longest time, everyone believed that the young girl's vision were gone for good.

Even though he knew it was positively evil to think of such a thing, Yugi was actually somewhat glad Shizuka lost her sight then. Because that was when Jou began to pour everything he had into praying to the gods, spending almost all his spare time in the temple that Yugi's grandfather owned. He even took to working there, hoping that his sincerity would eventually tug at the gods' heartstrings and revive his sister's eyes. Later, when Shizuka's eyes did get better, Jou decided on a permanent job at the temple as a way of expressing his gratitude to the gods for granting his wish.

And that was how Yugi had met Jou and gotten his first real friend. Before that, all the kids in class had laughed at him for living in a traditional Japanese temple, selling charms and wooden tablets to believers. His grandfather was even a well-known priest in the area, and was often invited to the homes of neighbours to ward off any evil spirits or improve the family's luck. However, with the advance of science and technology, what was once an unshakable foundation of belief and loyalty began to disappear. Nowadays, most people, especially the teenagers, had more faith in the gods of rock and roll then in the spirits of the natural world. Just for that simple reason, Yugi found it almost impossible to make friends, or even people who did not take one look at him and immediately brush him off as a religious fanatic. He was thankful he still had Jou.

"Hey, temple kids! What are you two still doing here? Shouldn't you be at your temple and praying already?" Ushio, the star of the football team, gloated as he walked pass. His gang of friends snickered as they followed close behind, ignoring the dirty looks Jou threw at them. For a moment, Yugi was worried that his friend would be unable to hold his cool and head into yet another all out fistfight.

Luckily, Jou merely muttered, "Some people just never grow up. And I don't get it. Why is it that we get called 'temple kids' just because we work at a temple? You know Bakura? His father owns a vegetable stall, but why doesn't he get called 'vegetable kid'? Apart from the fact that they'll have the living daylights beaten out of them by Bakura, but well…" – he shrugged offhandedly – "And Malik works for his sister at a museum, but he isn't called a 'museum kid' either! It's so unfair!"

"If anyone teased Malik for any reason at all, they'd probably find themselves stuck in a dark alley facing one scary boyfriend. You know how Malik's boyfriend is."

"True. Marik has got to be one of the scariest person alive," - Jou frowned as he recalled some Marik's handiwork – "But still… we're the only ones to get teased. What's so bad about working as a priest?"

"Nothing," Yugi chirped. "The people who tease us for being 'temple kids' are the same ones who'll be going to a temple and praying when finals come around. Isn't it amazing how fast time flies? We're going to graduate from high school next March already!"

"Yup! Oh, college here we come!" Jou grinned lopsidedly, his pearly whites appearing brighter under the harsh florescent lights of the school corridor. "And you're probably right; I'm sure Ushio will be the first one in the temple praying for help when exams come. I heard from his classmates that he's still failing his classes. But before that… we'll probably see a lot of our classmates in jii-chan's temple on New Year's Day. Even if they don't like to admit it, kids like us still like to buy the charms and wooden tablets (1) and pray for good luck for the coming year."

Yugi nodded.

"But Jou, are you sure you want to work on New Year's Day? Jii-chan says you can have the day off…"

"Don't be silly, Yugi. You know how brisk business gets on festivals like that! If I don't work, the temple's going to be short handed. As it is, Shizuka's been whining about wanting to help out at the temple that day too. I think she just wants to see the crowds. And probably be one of the first to hang her tablet up in the temple; she's already been thinking about what to write for her New Year resolution on the tablet."

Yugi chuckled, his amethyst eyes shining at the thought. It was simply amazing how much the girl had opened up since her successful eye operation. To think she was the kind who used to smile only to assure her family that she was okay.

Shutting his locker, he began to walk away with his friend. The crowds had already pretty much dispersed by then, and it was much easier to get around the corridors.

"What about you, Yugi? Have you thought about your New Year resolution?"

"Me? Well…" he trailed off, with a single thought racing in his mind. Fix up my relationship with my boyfriend, he thought. But outwardly, he smiled. "Not yet. What about you? Maybe you'd like to be nicer to Kaiba-kun."

"YUGI!!" Jou yelled, his face burning a bashful red.

It was as though someone had raised the red alert alarm, and suddenly everyone was staring at the two boys and whispering among themselves. But no one was too surprised; Jounouchi Katsuya was among the nosiest person in school ever, especially when the name of one Kaiba Seto was mentioned.

The amethyst-eyed boy grinned, quickly ducking a swing of his friend's book bag. It was almost amusing to see how his boyfriend's best friend, Kaiba, continually try to hit on Jou, and then see Jou try his best to get the other boy off his back. Even so, Yugi was sure Jou actually liked this crazy banter with Kaiba, but was just too shy to admit it. Maybe this coming year, the two would finally make some progress…

…like his own relationship with his boyfriend.

He sighed inwardly.

* * *

Yugi looked up from his cup of coffee almost nervously, and glanced across the table where his boyfriend, Yami, was seated. It irked him a little to see Yami staring out of the coffee house they were in, acting as distracted as he looked. It was almost as if he dreaded being here, or that an executioner's room would be much more appealing. To think this was their first date in ages.

Lately, Yami had been, as he called it, 'busy' with a lot of things. So busy he was that he hardly had time for Yugi anymore. Sure, Yugi understood that as a college student, his boyfriend was probably bogged down by term papers and research, but was it possible that he did not even have the energy and time to call his boyfriend up? Now, even when they were out on rare date, Yami was distracted and not paying much attention to him. Yugi pouted inwardly.

He could still remember how things had begun between the two of them just barely three years ago, and how sweet things had been.

Yugi had been a freshman in high school, barely knowing his way around. In his first week of school, he had gotten lost between lessons, unable to find the chemistry labs and even Jou was nowhere to be found. Luckily, he had stumbled into a pair of seniors, Yami and Kaiba, who helpfully showed him the way. He still remembered how Yami seemed to be blushing whenever he caught his eyes, and how Kaiba had tried his best to hold back his snickers. At that time, Yugi had been too innocent to understand what was going on, and even thought that maybe Yami had some sort of speaking disability since he could hardly speak in his presence. However, things soon became a lot clearer when the crimson-eyed senior turned up at his temple a few weeks later.

Business had been a little slow that day, and Yugi was bored out of his mind. Luckily, Jou had been tending the stall with him and so there was a talking companion. Knowing how scary a bored Yugi could be (he probably still shivered when he thought of the pranks Yugi had played on him in his boredom), Jou had volunteered to sell the charms and tablets while Yugi just had to collect the money. And since nearly everything in the stall was 500 yen, all the bored teenager had to do was to sweep the 500 yen coins people tossed onto the counter top into the little money basket; it was much too simple a task to even consider using a cash register.

So Yugi just sat there, sweeping the coins whenever one came almost like one of those coin-eating machines in the arcade, not even looking up to see what was being sold. That was Jou's job, after all, so he didn't even bother. He was so entirely absorbed into doing his task that he did not even notice the gasp of surprise from his friend.

Suddenly, instead of another coin, someone had tossed a slip of paper onto the counter instead. Blinking, Yugi unfolded it. If anything, his curiosity and surprise doubled when he read the words written on the paper in the neatest handwriting ever: Mutou Yugi, will you be my boyfriend? He gasped, head immediately shooting up to see just who it was. He hadn't even known that someone liked him, let alone want to date him!

To his astonishment, standing right before him with a deep blush tingeing his face was Hatake Yami, the senior who had helped him back then. Behind him and sniggering was Kaiba Seto, his best friend and partner in crime, as the school population called him. In the weeks since meeting the two seniors, Yugi had quickly discovered just how popular they were; it wasn't too difficult to tell when they had scores of fan girls swooning after them and how even some of the boys stared after them. Add that to the fact that they always competed for the top spot in all examinations big and small, it was little wonder why even the teachers spoke of them in high regards.

It had taken a while for the message to fully sink into his head, but when it did, Yugi smiled and held up the slip of paper. Yami had burst into a grin as well, as did Kaiba and Jou. However, Yugi had shocked all three of them when he shook his head and replied, "No." The grin on Yami's face crumpled almost instantly like an imploding building and was about to leave when Yugi suddenly reached out to tug at his sleeve with no small amount of cheekiness.

"But we can start off as friends first." And that was all it took to make Yami lit up with joy again. While the crimson-eyed senior looked like he wanted to run into the stall and hug Yugi, Kaiba was leaning into the counter and asking Jou out, to which Jou's only response was a confused, "Huh?"

In a matter of weeks, Yugi and Yami went from good friends to boyfriends, from simply holding hands to kissing and then making out. It wasn't long before Yugi found out that Yami's parents were both doctors, which was why he was always able to afford buying all the expensive presents for him and taking him out on extravagant dates. The expensive things tamed down when Yugi told his boyfriend flat out that he liked things simple and that his jii-chan always told him that teenagers should never spend more than what they could earn. Needless to say, Yami obliged. It was always like that; Yami always listened to what Yugi had to say. Things did not change even when Yami graduated from high school and went into college. He always made time for his little boyfriend.

Sometimes, Yugi believed that Yami poured all his love and affections into him because his parents were always working and seldom at home. He even recalled that Kaiba once told him, as nonchalantly as it was, that Yami was never a very touchy-feely person until they met him.

Recently however, Yami seemed so distant and always claimed that he was busy when Yugi tried calling him out for a short date. It couldn't really be school, he thought, since Kaiba was still looking for excuses to hang around Jou on a weekly basis; it used to be daily, until Jou snapped and warned him that if he saw him again in the next few days, he would waste no time in sending him off to the South Pole with a few postage stamps.

Something tickle his humour and Yugi smiled as he remembered the good o' days before sighing again. Vaguely, he wondered if Yami had found someone else in college. After all, he had visited his boyfriend in his college once, and was rather surprised at the number of good-looking girls and boys around. And there was still a Hatake Yami fanclub around. Blasted fan girls and boys…

"Yami?"

Finally, the elder boy turned back to him.

"Yes, Yugi?"

"I was just wondering… maybe you'd like to come over to my place tonight for dinner? Jii-chan and mum says they haven't seen you in a long time."

Yami offered a soft but distant smile as he replied, "I'd love to but… I really have to finish up my term paper tonight or I'll never make it in time for the deadline. I'm sorry, Yugi, but I promise you that we can go out this coming Sunday. My paper should be done by then and we can go out for dinner at our favourite restaurant. Would you like that?"

There was really nothing much Yugi could say but nod. Slowly, he went back to nursing his coffee. All the while, he was staring at his boyfriend's cup of untouched coffee.

* * *

Staring at the box of cream puffs his mother had asked him to deliver to Yami's house, Yugi wondered if his boyfriend would mind. Yami did say that he had to finish his term paper, and here he was, intruding on his study time. Never mind the fact that Yami adored any sweet confections his mother made. Then again, it had been two days since their date at the coffee house, and knowing how hardworking Yami was, he had probably already finished his work. Or at least finishing up. Maybe he would even get the chance to feed Yami the cream puffs and get a very sweet kiss in return.

With that thought, Yugi stepped into the elevator eagerly. With a soft 'ding', the doors flew open and the teenager walked out, rounding a corner to the rented apartment Yami shared with Kaiba. However, his legs froze at the picture that greeted him, his body still half hidden by the edge of the wall.

There was Yami standing at the door, looking as per normal. He was dressed in a casual dress shirt and a pair of black slacks, as though he was going out on a date with someone. And beside him was Anzu Misaki, Yami's ex-classmate in high school; Yugi remembered her as the popular cheerleader back then and much sought after by boys. There was nothing too strange with this picture except the two were kissing almost as though the world would end tomorrow, arms groping and hips grinding.

Everything that had happened between himself and Yami and Yami's recent actions seemed to click inside Yugi's mind, and he wasted no time in leaving silently. The elevator had never left the floor, as though it was Cinderella's silver pumpkin carriage waiting to fetch the princess home. As the doors slipped shut with a soft 'whoosh', Yugi thought that the magic had finally worn off.

* * *

People always said that upon witnessing such acts of betrayal, one would most likely end up in a place one found comfort in but had no idea how one actually managed to get there. It would, they said, feel as though one's head was filled with nothing but cotton wool, much as though it were blank and unthinking. Others even said that the cotton wool would be completely soaked, but the tears would not fall until one was at that special place. Yugi would have to disagree with this statement if he ever got the chance to.

He knew exactly what bus he could and could not take, which paths were safe and which ones to avoid, and his tears had already began to stream down while he was still in the elevator. He did not drop what was in his hand; oh no, the box of cream puffs were still secure in his arms. And he knew exactly how he had gotten to Jou's place.

But one thing he could account to being too shocked and upset to think properly was that he had forgotten that Jou had recently acquired a habit of going clubbing on Friday nights. And Yugi was never fond of such activities.

Sighing, Yugi thanked Shizuka who had answered the door and refused her kind-hearted invitation inside. She had almost wanted to just pull him in when she saw his tears, but he assured her that he was going home right away and that he'd call her when he got back. Hesitantly, she let it go.

Too impatient to wait for the bus, Yugi decided to just walk home. Half way on the stroll, he heard someone calling his name.

"Kaiba-kun?"

Said brunette was gesturing for him to get closer through the open window of his luxurious black sports car. Being the inventor of a virtual reality system and so a millionaire in his own rights, it seemed that Kaiba owned the widest array of electronic gadgets and the nicest cars that Jou often drooled over.

"Are you going to Jou's? I'll drive you there."

"Jou's out clubbing," he answered.

Kaiba frowned. "Is that so? I wanted to ask him out for some coffee. There's a new café in town, and my younger brother told me that they have the best chocolate cake ever. With Jou's sweet tooth, I figured he would be tempted enough to go out with me this time…" he mumbled in frustration. Shrugging it off, he looked up again.

"So are you going home? I'll drive you back, since Jou isn't around, and Yami will kill me if he ever found out that I left his precious boyfriend alone in the streets at night."

Yugi had almost wanted to refute Kaiba's words, had wanted to correct him that he wasn't Yami's precious boyfriend anymore, and just simply reject the kind offer. After all, this was Yami's best friend, so there was little reason why he would not know what was going on between Yami and Anzu. And perhaps he had just simply 'neglected' to tell poor, little Yugi. But the other part of his mind, the logical part, knew that Kaiba was also his friend and would never hold back this type of information or hurt him deliberately. In fact, the millionaire probably had some answers for him.

"Can we talk? I have something I need to ask you. About Yami."

Kaiba raised a suspicious eyebrow, but otherwise, nothing else betrayed what he thought of the sudden request.

"Hop on then."

* * *

This was the second time Yugi found himself in a coffee house in the last three days, but something was different this time. Many things were, in fact. For one, he was drinking coffee with Kaiba Seto instead of Hatake Yami. In the three years since Yugi knew the young millionaire, he couldn't remember when was the last time he had spent so much time with him alone. Usually, either Jou or Yami was with them. But now that he had tried it, Yugi wondered why he had never done this before. It was quite an interesting experience, actually.

And at least Kaiba drank his coffee.

Setting down his cup of espresso back on its designated plate, the brunette sat back into the large cushion seat. Occasionally, he would look at Yugi, look away, and then went back to drinking his coffee. He was already on his third cup. Still, in all the time they had spent in the coffee house and ride in the car, Kaiba had never pressed Yugi for anything. It seemed that he wasn't even eager to know what his best friend's long time boyfriend wanted to ask him. That, or he was incredibly patient.

Yugi thought it was probably a combination of both.

Finally, Yugi felt the urge to speak and was mentally prepared for any answers he might receive.

"So…"

Kaiba folded the newspaper he had been reading and put it away. Crossing his legs and making himself comfortable, he waited for Yugi to continue.

"Is there anything you want to tell me?" Yugi asked.

"Apart from my disappointment in not seeing Jou tonight? I don't think so."

Silence reigned between them again, the tension thick. The other patrons of the coffee house seemed oblivious as they went on drinking their black coffee and laughing boisterously at their jokes. A young waitress walked by, an empty tray in hand, the rubber soles of her shoes making a constant squeaking noise on the wooden panels of the floor.

"Is Yami going out with Anzu? Is that why he hasn't had time for me at all lately?"

"With Anzu?" Kaiba narrowed his eyes. "I swear to god that she is the last thing he will consider going out with even if the human race were facing extinction and they were the last two human beings left on earth."

It was such a cliché way of explaining the situation, and Yugi couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"Like Adam and Eve?"

"Like Adam and Eve, except that Adam would kiss the nearest tree before lying a finger on Eve. And that he would willingly leave Eden if that meant he wouldn't have to see her again."

"…It's not funny."

"It's not supposed to be," Kaiba answered, taking a short punctuating sip from his cup before putting it down again.

Yugi pouted, almost shooting daggers with his amethyst eyes, partially hidden underneath his golden bangs. He remained that way for a while before he finally gave in, and fell back into his lush cushion seat much like a deflated balloon giving up the last of its air.

"Then do you know what Yami has been busy with the past few weeks? It can't all be college, can it?"

"It can," – Kaiba nodded sagely – "But it can also not be. I wouldn't know. After all, we are from different faculties, even if we are from the same college."

That much was true. Kaiba majored in computer engineering, while Yami was studying for a degree in medicine like his parents.

"You haven't answered my first question."

"If I know what Yami has been busy with the past couple of weeks? I'm not his babysitter," Kaiba replied casually, without any sarcasm dripping. "If he's been busy, I wouldn't know. All I know is that I've been quite busy myself."

"Busy looking for ways to get Jou to agree on an actual date," Yugi chimed, rolling his eyes. He usually wasn't the type to take an offensive tone, nor was he the sarcastic type, but he felt that he was at least privileged to being a little snide tonight.

"Exactly. That's my New Year resolution, in fact."

For once, Yugi finally understood why Jou always got so frustrated with the brunette, and why he had never enjoyed spending time alone with him. The millionaire never lied, but he never said the exact truth either. Ambiguity seemed to be his trademarked forte.

-tbc-

(1): The wooden tablet is just a piece of wooden board where they have a picture of a horse drawn one side. People write their wishes on the other side, and then hang it up on stands inside the temple grounds for everyone to see. In Chinese, it's called 'hui ma', which literally means 'draw horse'. I've no idea what they call it in Japanese though.


	2. Yami's New Year Resolution

Title: My New Year Resolution part 2

Author: Sorceress Fantasia

Pairings: YY/Y, K/J, mentioned YM/M

Warnings: Slight angst, some fluff, sap, romance, AU

Disclaimer: If I owned YGO, Yami would confess his everlasting love for Yugi in the first episode and kiss him at least once every episode. However, for those of you who have watched the manga and anime, you'd know that doesn't happen and so in conclusion, I do not own YGO or any of the characters.

Note: In this fic, Yugi's family owns a temple instead of a game shop. If you've watched Sailor Moon before, just picture Rei's temple and clothes and everything will be clearer. Also, take took that I don't actually know a lot about the traditions (all I know is from reading about it in mangas) so I'm taking some artistic license with the whole thing. Also, this fic is inspired by a Hollywood movie called 'When you were sleeping', which I highly recommend to those of you who enjoy romantic, sappy flicks.

Intro: Yugi's New Year resolution was to fix up his strained relationship with his boyfriend, Yami. But little does he know what Yami's New Year resolution is… (YY/Y and K/J)

* * *

Rule number eight of the Kaiba family was to always be fair in everything, and take advantage of every opportunity possible. This rule was the one Kaiba Seto loved the most, and the only one he would willingly abide by.

So that night when his best friend came back to their shared apartment, looking like he was ready to drop dead, he thought it was the perfect opportunity to drop a bomb on him. After all, he had to be fair to Yugi, and there was no time better than the present to take advantage of Yami's current mood.

"Yami?"

"What?" said teenager barked, dropping his keys onto the table and shrugging off his denim jacket, carelessly throwing it onto the ground without a second thought. "If you're looking for a drinking companion, look for someone else. I'm definitely not in the mood for any alcohol now that my head is giving me a killer headache. Right now, I just want some aspirin and go into hibernation."

True to his words, Yami quickly headed into the kitchen for a glass of water and aspirin.

"I had coffee with Yugi earlier," Kaiba mentioned offhandedly, turning back to his laptop. And then he waited.

Just as he expected, Yami was beside him in a matter of seconds, water and aspirin all forgotten. He stifled the smug smirk that threatened to surface and continued to let his fingers dance across the keyboard.

"How did you meet him? And what did you say to him?"

"I was heading to Jou's place when I saw him walking alone on the streets. He told me Jou wasn't home, and since I had set my heart out on having some coffee, I took Yugi with me. I should have done it earlier; he makes wonderful company. And yes, I almost forgot. Yugi asked me to pass that box of cream puffs to you, but I hope you wouldn't mind if I ate some just now," he replied, his fingers never pausing in their ardent dance.

"Cream puffs?" Yami asked, and he turned to the dining table where there was indeed a box. Walking over, he picked it up. Opening the box, he was delighted to see that it was really filled with Yugi's mother's distinctive cream puffs. He loved it, and had just mentioned it once to her when he was visiting, but she took it very seriously. Now, he always got a share of whatever sweet confections she made in her spare time. She would give it to Yugi, and ask him to bring it over, where they would then share the snacks in the most flirtatious manner possible. Yami grinned; it was such an enjoyment to feed Yugi and see a light blush appearing on his face. But he enjoyed it more when Yugi would retaliate and feed him back. Their kisses would be particularly sweet on such occasions, and Yami was sure it wasn't just the sugar in the snacks.

"But why didn't he come over himself? He usually does…" Yami asked, popping a puff into his mouth and savouring the taste.

"He asked me if you were dating Anzu."

The box nearly fell out of his hands.

"If I'm not wrong, Yugi did come over. But he probably had a very impeccable sense of timing to see you and a certain someone together. I hope you weren't doing anything with her. But if you did, I hope you had enough sense to do it inside the apartment, behind closed and locked doors."

This time, Yami had to put the box down before he really dropped it.

"Shit."

"You better call him."

As Yami dashed into his room and no doubt grabbing a phone, Kaiba just leaned back in his chair. Rule number eight, accomplished.

* * *

A string of curses, strung up in the few languages he knew, raced through his mind as he picked up and phone and dialed the set of familiar numbers. Of all the blasted days, why did Anzu have to insist on today? And why did Yugi have to come today? He had the worst luck ever! Crossing his fingers, Yami hoped that Yugi wouldn't hang up on him. At least, he hoped that his little angel would pick up his cell phone.

A few rings later, he heard someone picking up.

* * *

Yugi had been tempted to just ignore his cell phone when he saw Yami's number, but he thought that it was too childish. Besides, he wanted answers. And he also knew that if he avoided Yami, things would just get worse and Yami would probably try again. The last thing he wanted was his cell phone ringing constantly.

"Hello?"

"Yugi?"

A sigh of relief was heard on the other side, but Yugi wasn't too sure if Yami should relax so soon. Picking up the phone didn't mean that he didn't have a temper.

"Do you have anything you want to say to me, Yami? Because if you don't, I have things I need to do," he said tersely, hugging his black magician plushie close.

"I… I heard from Seto that you had coffee with him."

"So I did. Anything wrong with that? I figured that if you could kiss a girl, I could at least have some fun of my own. Besides, I was just having coffee with a friend. Your best friend, in fact."

Yugi thought he heard someone cringe on the other side.

"Before you ask, yes, I saw you and Anzu together. Don't even think that Kaiba-kun told me anything."

There was a long silence on Yami's side, and Yugi thought that Yami was probably thinking up of an excuse. Vaguely, he wondered how creative the excuse would be. Jou had once told him that at a time like this, creative juices always flooded the mind and so it was better to take everything with a large pinch of salt. Better yet, a tablespoon.

"I… I'm sorry, Yugi… But I really didn't mean anything with that kiss! I was just… I just needed a favour from her, and she asked for a kiss…"

Yugi frowned.

"You didn't mean anything with that kiss? But you looked as though you were enjoying it very much, the way you were hugging her so tightly and even desperately. From a bystander's point of view, I thought that kiss was pretty passionate," Yugi remarked calmly. "But since that kiss didn't mean anything, then I suppose you don't mean anything when you kiss me either, right?"

"No! I don't mean that! Yugi, I love you! I really do!" Yami cried desperately into the phone.

"Then why did you kiss her? All the times you refused to go out with me… were you having fun with her? Having fun with her, while I'm just here, wondering what I did to make you angry, wondering where we went wrong!" Yugi shouted, finally giving in to his anger and pent-up tears. Hiccupping, he let his plushie tumble to the side when he raised an arm to wipe away the streaks of angry tears.

"Yugi, let me explain!"

"You know what? I think you never loved me; you just thought you did because I was the first person whom you thought was a cute doll to totter along. A doll you could play dress up with all the things you bought me! You poured all your pent-up affections for your parents into me, and convinced yourself to love me so I would love you back. But now that you've found someone you really love, I've got no use anymore, have I?"

"Yugi, that's not true! I don't like Anzu that way!"

"Enough, Hatake Yami," Yugi whispered, not even bothering to wipe away his tears now. "I need some time alone and reconsider our relationship. I think you need to do that too. Good night, Yami."

Before the other could protest, Yugi hung up the phone and switched it off. Still sobbing, he forced himself to be at least quiet about it so no one would hear. His family thought the world of Yami; there was no need to correct them just yet. And they were busy preparing for the New Year prayers anyway. Every New Year was the same; everyone would visit the temple on the first day of the new year and pray to the gods for a good year. Teenagers seemed to love coming in droves and making a wish at the well, ring the bell, and pray for a divination lot. The girls would then buy some charms and wooden tablet to write their New Year resolutions.

New Year resolution… he still remembered Jou asking him about his. But it seemed that fixing up his relationship with his boyfriend wasn't applicable anymore. Yugi wasn't even sure if he still had a boyfriend to begin with.

* * *

The next few days passed by painfully slow for Yugi. Although he was the one to avoid Yami's numerous phone calls and even refusing to see the other when he knocked on his door, Yugi still thought he didn't have the upper hand, as opposed to what others might think. In fact, Yugi felt as miserable as the moment when he finally realized that he had just seen Yami kiss Anzu. That image seemed to have been burnt into his mind, and he could see it every time he closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes, all he could see was the little things Yami had done for him. The watch Yami had given him for their first anniversary, the dark magician plushie, their favourite restaurant, their photos…

And the worst thing? He still loved Yami despite everything.

For the first time in three years, Yugi spent New Year's Eve at home with his family. And when the fireworks that heralded the coming of the new year appeared in the skyline, he slipped out of his house, passed the watchful eyes of his jii-chan and mother, and headed for the wishing well.

Tossing a coin and listening to it fall into the empty box (1), Yugi put his hands together and prayed. Taking a deep breath, he looked up at the big bell fastened on top of the box and pulled on the red and white cord. The crisp ringing of the bell sounded particularly lonely that night.

* * *

It was around ten in the morning when the crowds started to arrive in throngs, all dressed beautifully in their elaborate flora kimonos. Girls dragged their boyfriends to the wishing well, tossing some of the money from their red packets (2) inside and then pulling on the bell. Other girls were lining up at the stall and buying their share of charms and tablets, giggling and laughing with each other. Those who had already made their purchases would line up for a chance to hang up their wooden tablets at the stands in the temple grounds, letting everyone see what their New Year resolutions and wishes were. There were also droves of people praying for their divination lots, and those who got the good ones cheered while those who got the bad lots would tie the piece of paper onto a tree in hopes of changing their luck. All in all, the temple was overflowing with people.

Yugi and Jou were tending the stall together again, something that did not usually happen on busy days like this. But it was obvious how despondent Yugi had gotten the last few days that his grandfather refused to let him be alone. Besides, he was more likely to make mistakes in his current mood and there was no need for him to get pushed around by the gaggle of people.

So he had been shepherded inside the stall along with Jou that morning without another word. Luckily, Shizuka had convinced her mother to let her help out on New Years' Day so they weren't really very short-handed. Still, everyone was kept busy the entire morning and by the time evening rolled around, much of the crowd had dissipated and they were finally able to relax a bit.

"Yugi, you alright?" Jou asked after a girl left the stall with a lucky charm for romance and health each. "You've been really down the last few days… And you're not even happy on New Years' Day! I mean… well," – he shrugged – "a year has passed, and a new one has come! Shouldn't you be at least a little happy?"

The amethyst-eyed boy sighed, sweeping the two 500 yen coins into the money basket.

"I just can't bring myself to be happy."

Jou frowned, and allowed himself to sit down beside his friend when he saw no one in the queue.

"Yugi, did something happen between you and Yami? I noticed that you haven't been going out with him lately."

"I'm not sure actually… We haven't been spending a lot of time together recently because he's always busy with some things, but he just won't tell me what he's busy with. And when we're actually together, he always distracted and I get the feeling that he doesn't want to spend time with me," Yugi replied, voice almost cracking. It was amazing how easily things could fall apart, and how easy it was to doubt himself for everything that went wrong.

"You remember asking me about my New Year resolution?" he asked. At Jou's hesitant nod, he continued, "I know I told you that I hadn't thought about it yet, but truth is, I have. And all I wanted was to fix up my relationship with Yami. Something is wrong, but I just don't know what or why. It's like after being together for three years, when I thought I knew him best, and suddenly I have this stranger in front of me instead of my boyfriend."

Jou wanted to talk more, but suddenly there was another group of people lining up again. He quickly reverted to his working mode, offering a small smile and getting the charms and tablets ready.

Yugi just continued to look down, reaching out for the money mechanically. At least everyone was tossing only 500 yen coins onto the counter, so he didn't have to worry about getting their change. If anyone had given him the wrong amount, he had no idea. All he wanted to do was to finish up with the day so he could crawl back under his covers, go back to sleep and not worry about a thing. Before that, he was just listening to the sounds the coins made when they were tossed onto the counter top. It was almost hypnotizing, like a lullaby that was luring him to sleep.

Suddenly, there was something different about the sound. It sounded as though the coin wasn't solid, and it was a lot softer than usual. And had Jou just gasped?

Curiously, Yugi peered at the counter top. However, instead of seeing a coin as he should have, all he saw was a silver ring gleaming in the evening sun. Picking it up, he saw the three small diamonds gazing back at him in their glorious brilliance, each glittering delicately on top of the ring. Finally, Yugi looked up to see Yami standing in front of the stall, biting his lower lip nervously. Kaiba and his younger brother, Mokuba, flanked his sides almost as though they were guards to a king. Everyone seemed to felt the tension that was so thick it was suffocating.

"Yugi, I…erm… Happy New Year?" Yami started, looking strangely vulnerable as he kept his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. He protested at the rather harsh nudge his friend gave him before he finally sighed, sweeping a gloved hand through his hair.

"I know I hurt you when I kissed Anzu that day," – he ignored Jou's loud protest and Mokuba's wide eyed look – "but I swear on everything that's important to me that I didn't want to. I needed her help, and she asked for a kiss and a date in return. I… I couldn't afford this ring otherwise."

"I don't understand… you have enough money to take me out for a 500 dinner, but you can't afford a ring?" Yugi asked, clearly confused. As far as he knew, Yami was never thrifty with anything whenever it concerned him, and was even willing to splurge on luxurious dates just to make him happy.

"Yugi, I know you hate it when I spend too much, and that you think teenagers like us shouldn't spend more than what we can afford… that's what your grandfather always tells you, isn't it? So I thought… I thought that for once, I would earn the money myself to buy this ring for you. But I didn't count on neglecting you because I was always out working, and when I was with you, I didn't want to talk too much because… I'm just worried that I'll blurt everything out and ruin the surprise. You… you know how I am. I can't keep secrets from you, so I forced myself to shut up this time."

Seeing Yugi's disbelief, he quickly added, "I'm telling the truth! Really! I've been working all these weeks! I can even call up one of the bookstores I worked at and ask my boss to talk to you! He can vouch for me!"

Kaiba, surprisingly, helped out, even though he disliked getting himself into sticky situations like other people's relationship problems.

"This part is true, Yugi. Yami's been working in all sorts of places these last few weeks. I didn't tell you that night at the coffee house because he," – he poked a finger at his best friend – "ordered me to keep it a secret. From Jou, even."

Jou looked slightly indignant at that piece of information, crossing his arms.

Yugi felt almost surreal, but the cool metal in his hand told him it was real. Nothing could ever duplicate the warmth it seemed to emit, nor could anything but Yami ever make him feel such tenderness and such love. His boyfriend – he was sure Yami still wanted to be his boyfriend now – had come over with a ring and asked for his forgiveness. He still loved him and in fact, he, according to what he had just said, had never stopped loving him! But even now, Yugi was unsure.

"But Anzu?"

Yami actually winced at that, like something had given him a rather nasty bite.

"She… got me a discount for the ring," he answered sheepishly. "I planned for all this too late, so I didn't actually have enough to buy it. But Anzu's parents own a jewelry store, and she told me that if I took her out on a date and kissed her… Just once! Really, Yugi! Just once…" he quickly added when Yugi looked away again. "Anyway, she told me that if I took her out on a date and kiss her, and she specified that the kiss had to be… well, good… then she would ask her parents to give me a discount for the ring. So I…" – he bit his lip – "I'm sorry, Yugi. I shouldn't have done that, but I wanted the ring so much…"

Yugi was still quietly holding the ring. Occasionally, he would let his eyes slide down to the gleaming silver but otherwise, he was just staring at his flustered boyfriend.

"I wanted the ring to ask for your hand in marriage, Yugi."

Jou gasped loudly, stumbling back to lean against the wall of the stall while Yugi's head shot up and he blurted before he could stop himself, "What…?"

Yami looked a lot more determined and confident than he did barely ten minutes ago. Stepping forward and closer to the one he loved, he gazed deeply into Yugi's eyes.

"I want to marry you," he said again. "You're graduating from high school soon, and then you'll be heading for college. I'm… I'm scared. I'm scared that you'll go a college elsewhere and meet all these good looking people. I'm even more afraid of you meeting someone, and finally deciding that I'm not as good or that I'm not good enough to keep anymore. I… I want to marry you so I can stay with you. If you really leave for college in another city, I'll go with you! Yugi, I really love you. Will you please marry me?"

Yugi finally decided that this was real, and that he hadn't been dreaming for the last few minutes. Yami was really proposing to him! Blinking, he noticed how all his friends and Yami were looking at him in anticipation and anxiety. He was suddenly reminded of the time when Yami had first asked him out, at the temple with a mere slip of paper. And then he remembered his own answer.

"No."

Jou gasped again, while Mokuba held onto his brother's hand tighter as he hid behind Kaiba's trench coat. Even Kaiba winced at the sharp rejection. But all that was nothing compared to Yami's reaction. His once bright crimson eyes dimmed to a red so dull it looked as though they were bleeding. And they were indeed, bleeding with a pain so deep, with hurt so intense, it was agonizing to even look into the red depths and see how lost they were. His lips opened and closed, like words, both nonsensical and logical, were clamouring to come out of his throat. Yet not a sound was heard.

But before he could leave, Yugi tugged at his sleeve.

"Not until you ask for my forgiveness properly," Yugi added softly, smiling a real smile for the first time in days. It was the bright smile that could melt the coldest of hearts, and the one Yami loved so much. Not even the quiet tears cascading down his cheeks could ruin his sheer angelic beauty.

When Yami finally registered the words, a smile bright enough to rival Yugi's blossomed on his face. But before he could say anything, Jou had beaten him to it.

"You really can't do any apologizing here. I mean, it's just much too cramped!" he said cheekily, slowly pushing his friend out of the stall once he had opened the door by the side.

Kaiba quickly caught on.

"Ah yes. I believe Jou's right about this. It is too cramped for a good apology of any kind. I'll take over Yugi's job."

"What?" Jou exclaimed. Then he quickly shook his head. "No, no, no… There's no need to! I mean, the crowds are pretty much gone so I can handle it myself. Really!"

But Kaiba did not seem to have heard that as he ushered Yugi out and let himself in.

"Mokuba, if you want to, you can go home. I'm going to be here for quite a while."

"Kaiba, get out!"

"Or you can stay around and go talk to Shizuka. I think I saw her around."

"Kaiba, for the last time, get out of the stall!"

Yami and Yugi snickered at the two before they grabbed a wooden tablet and ran off.

* * *

As the evening sun bestowed its orange beams onto the horizon, Yami fished out a coin from his pocket. His other hand was still holding Yugi's gently; he had taken off his glove some time ago so he could feel his boyfriend's skin under his own. More importantly, he wanted to feel the ring he had slid onto Yugi's finger so he would know that the surrealism surrounding him like a veil was just that: a veil. Everything underneath the veil was real; Yugi had agreed to marry him after his high school graduation.

Flipping the coin into the wishing well, Yami grasped both of Yugi's hands and said, "I wish that I can make you happy everyday for the rest of our lives. I will never try anything like I did with this ring again. Really."

And then he pulled on the bell. It rang for the umpteenth time that day, but unlike the joyous sounds of celebrations and the lonely chime Yugi had heard just last night, this ring reminded him of church bells: the ones that rang at a wedding ceremony. He grinned.

"I know you won't. You wouldn't dare to anyway," he chirped.

"Cheeky, huh?" Yami replied laughingly, leaning in for a quick peck on Yugi's lips.

Yugi just grinned wider.

"Yami? Are you going to do something with that wooden tablet? Because if you're not, it's going to just sit there and rot."

"Just give me a second. I need to think of what to write for my New Year resolution."

"Haven't you thought about it yet?"

"Well, it was 'Propose to Yugi so many times so he'll agree just to shut me up' initially. But since I got you on my first try…" Yami trailed off, his hands sliding down Yugi's body to his waist where they stayed and wrapped around tighter. At his fiancé's chuckle, he leaned their foreheads together.

Yugi pouted cutely when he felt Yami's warm breath tickling his nose in a puff of white smoke.

"First try? What? You think I'm some plushie in a UFO machine?"

"And what a cute plushie I got… You gotta keep my bed warm, you know? Since you're a plushie and all…" Yami teased, quickly dodging the light slap from Yugi.

"My New Year resolution is going to be this: keep Yami in line until our wedding. Jii-chan will kill me if I do anything with you before that. I'm a priest in training, remember?"

Yami quickly leaned in for another short kiss.

"I think so."

"Baka…"

They stood there for a while, just hugging the other for all they were worth. Yugi sighed contentedly in his fiancé's embrace. Even though things had soured, they were just the prelude to a string of better luck. Now that things looked brighter, he could look forward to a wedding in springtime when the cherry blossoms were blooming and showering the skies with petals of pink and white. It would definitely be a very beautiful sight, even more so if they wore the traditional kimono for the wedding.

He was about to ask Yami if he wanted to go to his room when Yami broke the silence.

"I know what my New Year resolution should be now."

Yugi blinked, looking up.

"What is it?"

Yami grinned toothily.

"Plan the most romantic wedding this coming April and sweep my Yugi tenshi off his feet during our honeymoon."

The amethyst-eyed boy returned the grin.

"Just as long as you don't mean that literally, I'm all for it."

"Happy New Year, love."

"Happy New Year to you too, Yami."

-owari-

(1): It's actually not a wishing well, but I just don't know what to call it. It's actually a rectangular wooden box with grills on top so as to prevent people from stealing, and a bell is fasten on top of the box with a red and white rope twisted together. So when you've made a wish, you pull on the rope to ring the bell.

(2): In both Japanese and Chinese cultures, it is customary for elders to give out red packets to the children during New Year. It is some sort of lucky charm, and there's usually some money inside the packet. The money is usually referred to as 'ya sui qian'.

**Replies to reviews**:

_xamosy_ - Heh... It's always so strange to see you review here and the ML! Not that i don't appreciate it though! Anyway, in case you don't get my email, drawing is actually 'hui hua' in Chinese. So both 'hui ma' and 'hua ma' works, only that 'hui ma' is more, well... classy. Therefore, both of them literally translate into 'draw horse' in English. Hope that helps!

_To the person who left a complaint abt Anzu-bashing but did not leave a name_ - Okay, let me clarify something first. When you bash someone, it means that you're completely degrading that person into nothing more than a bimbo or airhead. Thing is, I have implied nothing of that sort in this fic. While Kaiba did express his contempt for Anzu as well as Yami's, he is just stating his personal opinion. If you were to say something well... bad, about someone you know, does that constitute as bashing? I don't think so. Personally,I do not dispise Anzu;I just don't like her a lot.  
As for the spelling mistake, I would have to admit that it's my bad. I don't have a beta (that I admit), so I might have missed out on a few of my mistakes. For that, I apologize.  
As to why I made her a cheerleader, it is mainly because of the status that is usually attached to it. For many, being a cheerleader also means popularity, which is what I had hoped to convey here. It is as character-bashing making Anzu a cheerleader as it is making her a lawyer. Being a cheerleader does not equate to bimbo.  
And as to why I gave her the role instead of some random OC, I thought it would be better to make use of characters already present in the anime. Besides, Anzu has always expressed a liking for Yami even in the manga and anime, so she's perfect for this role.  
Anyway,when and IF you've read this chapter, you will understand Anzu's perspective a little bit more and how that I did not bash her.

_Killian_ - Thank you so much! Things did get better for Yami and Yugi, no? /grins/

_citrus luver_ - Did you like what Yami was up to? I hope you did! And well, Kaiba is ALWAYS blunt. /snickers/ And so I thought I'd play with him a bit and let him chase Jou around instead of always having him running away from Jou!

_KNT _- Now that you've read this part, I guess you wouldn't say Yami really cheated on Yugi, now would you? /grins/

_Alea_ - You know, Iwas laughing so hard when I saw your comment I think my mum thought I was going nuts! Concussion and broken computer indeed! /laughs/ Hope this chappie will lift your spirits!

_SoulDreamer_ - Updated now! Like it?

_Sansi_ - Yeah, I was feeling the same way. I've made Yami chase after Yugi so many times already I thought I'd turn the tables over for poor Yami. Still, I think he got the short end of the stick this time. Maybe I'll write a fic for him soon.

_Duelgirl_ - Have you caught that movie? I absolutely adore it! I just wonder how long was that movie made because I cannot for the life of me recall anything about it. I mean, I don't even remember hearing a thing about it! I hope I did the movie justice too!

_abby-sarajane_ - Here's the next chappie! Hope you like!

_flyingshadow370_ - I'm sorry for not adding Bakura and Ryou in. I actually finished writing this fic before I even posted part 1 on , but I didn't post it because it was for a ML challenge so I thought it would be better to post it only after the challenge is over. Anyway, I'm looking forward to writing a fic with our favourite tomb robber and his landlord (snickers) soon, so look out for it!

_Trio Wing_ - Next part is up and posted! Like it?

_magician-girl-mia_ - I hope this part lived up to your expectations!

_Yukiko-Angel_ - Aww... Yami's not that bad now that you've read this part, now is he? /grins/ And yup! I think Seto is really cute here too! But I didn't do anything to him; he practically demanded for his role to be portrayed like this here!


	3. Anzu's New Year Resolution

Title: Anzu's New Year Resolution  
Author: Sorceress Fantasia  
Pairings: YY/Y, unrequited A/YY, mentioned K/J  
Warnings: Slight angst, AU, some sap

Disclaimer: If I owned YGO, Yami would confess his everlasting love for Yugi in the first episode and kiss him at least once every episode. However, for those of you who have watched the manga and anime, you'd know that doesn't happen and so in conclusion, I do not own YGO or any of the characters.

Summary: After accepting Yami's proposal, Yugi often finds himself on cloud nine. However, it still bothers him that Yami had to go out with Anzu for the ring. One thing he never considered, though, was what was going through Anzu's head when she asked for one date and a kiss with Yami.

Special thanx to FantabulousWataponfor spotting a mistake. I changed it! Thanx!

* * *

Yugi stared at his ring again, letting it catch the sunlight and bouncing it off. With the three little glittery diamonds, his ring was beautiful. But it wasn't the beauty of the ring that was making Yugi smile almost goofily. It was the memory that came with it that was doing the trick. He giggled again.

"Yugi, as happy as I am for your engagement, I would really appreciate it if you could stop swooning over your ring and your fiancé. It kind of makes you look silly, you know?"

The boy gasped and spun around.

"Jii-chan!"

The old man chuckled. Placing the broomstick that he had been using earlier against the wall, he walked up to his only grandson.

"Well, can't blame me for saying the truth, can you?" he teased again, delighting in how Yugi's blush seemed to get brighter with every passing moment. Perhaps a little while more, and the brightness would rival the diamonds on his ring?

How long ago was it, the time when Yugi still needed his grandfather to tie his shoelaces, tell him bedtime stories and assured him that no evil spirit was dwelling under his bed or in his closet? It sure didn't seem all that long ago. But suddenly, Sugoroku noticed, his adorable grandson had grown up into a fine young man who was almost getting married. He was sure that it had happened overnight; just yesterday, he had put a crying Yugi to bed after the school bullies had gotten to him, and today, Yugi was already 18 years old and engaged.

There was really nothing more to ask for, Surogoku thought, since it was clear he wasn't going to get great-grandchildren. But he was okay with that as long as Yugi was happy.

"Now Yugi, could you go clean up the racks at the temple for a bit? We should really take down the wooden tablets by now," he said, noting that it was already nearing February. Most of the other temples had already taken down their tablets and were preparing them for the prayer tablets that would soon fill up the racks again. It was always like that whenever school finals were around the corner.

"And when you're done with that, you can either continue to gawk at your ring or go out with Yami. Just don't wander into a condom shop!" He could not help but add a last quip before he laughed and lumbered down the corridor to his own room.

Yugi pouted; must jii-chan tease him over and over again? Not that his mother didn't have enough fun teasing him about marriage matters, sharing secrets of the bedroom and telling him how important condoms were for birth control until she 'belatedly' realized that her son did not quite have the equipment needed for childbirth. Oh, she and jii-chan had almost laughed themselves to death over that, stopping only when it became difficult to breathe.

Still pouting, Yugi wrapped a woolen scarf around his neck and quickly headed for the quiet corner of the temple his family owned.

* * *

Taking another tablet off the rack, he gave it a quick scan before tossing it into the half-filled box by his feet. Usually, Jou would be here to help him with the job, but the blonde boy was taking a well-deserved break; or rather, a break his mother had insisted he take so he could catch up with his school work that was piling up like a mountain. His mother had strictly forbidden Jou from leaving his study desk until everything was finished, and last Yugi heard from Shizuka, he was screaming blue murder over a math sum he still could not solve after three tries.

Too bad, really, because Jou loved taking down the tablets and scanning through everyone's New Year resolutions. Sometimes, people wrote the funniest things. Yugi still remembered there was one that went: I want to hone my psychic powers so I can peek at someone's exam answers! The thing was, if Yugi had psychic powers, he would want to hone them so he could get all the correct answers, rather than peek at someone else's. Jou had laughed over that for days, 'admiring' the person's idiocy and possibly wishful thinking ("Psychic powers? Ha! Psychic powers!").

And then, there were those people who wrote the common things like wanting to make their crush return their feelings (he and Jou sometimes tried to imagine how that person looked like, based on the person's handwriting), or resolving to kick a certain habit (there was one guy who wrote that he wanted to stop picking his nose in front of the girls he liked).

It was mostly very mundane things.

But occasionally, there was one that would make Yugi do a double-take.

Like this one that went: I resolve to give up all my feelings for Yami and concentrate on my studies in America. – Anzu

* * *

Punching his pillow again for the umpteenth time in two hours, Yugi was still feeling restless. It had been hours since he'd stumbled upon Anzu's wooden tablet, but the words she had written on it just would not leave his mind. He was sure it was Anzu Mizaki, Yami's personal fan club president cum popular cheerleader in high school. After all, what were the chances of another Anzu habouring another crush for another Yami?

But some things were not adding up.

The girl had always been extremely fond of Yami, so why would she even think of giving up? And she did coerce Yami into a date and a kiss just roughly a month ago.

Yugi sulked at that memory. But... when he really thought about it, he guessed he couldn't really blame Anzu for that. After all, she had known Yami way before he ever came into the picture, when Yami had walked into the café she had been working for before they both entered high school; Kaiba once mentioned rather off-handedly that if Yugi had not appeared, Yami might have learned to like Anzu. It seemed like an almost natural progression, in fact; love at first sight (on Anzu's part) was a theme that frequently graced the pages of romance novels. But once Yugi was there, Yami avoided Anzu like the plague to prevent any misunderstandings, thus Kaiba's later Adam and Eve comment (1).

But he had heard all about it.

As a freshman walking the halls of his high school, he had heard lots of things, and one of the most favoured topics among the gossipmongers was the relationship between Hatake Yami and Mizaki Anzu.

They said, Anzu hadn't planned on coming to their high school initially. Oh no, at least not until she had met Yami in the café, when he strode in alone and with an air of melancholy that seemed to be coming from within him. He had asked for an ice-mocha, sipping at it with a straw while he gazed out of the window, looking at the people walking by. And when that was finished, he had asked for another one. And another one.

When he had asked for his fourth ice-mocha, Anzu took it upon herself and set a cup of steaming black coffee on his table.

"Let this warm you up. Black coffee always makes me feel better, no matter what," she said.

When she returned minutes later, she had almost been dismayed that the young man was gone. But she smiled when she found the empty cup and a generous tip that covered the cost of all he had consumed.

After that incident, the gossipmongers said, Anzu waited for him to turn up at the café again, but he never did. For a while, she was convinced that she would never see that handsome teenager with crimson eyes again. But she did, weeks later, at a bookstore, when they had reached out for the same book. The more romantic saps squealed at that, claiming that it was a match made in heaven. That book had been the last in stock, and Yami had let Anzu have it. Anzu was fretting over how to get to know him better as they left the store, but he suddenly turned around and said, "Thanks for the black coffee."

Anzu was hooked that instant.

After asking around and a bit of checking, she changed her choice of high school, making sure that she would see Yami again. And in their first year, they did. Meet, that is. And everyone was betting their money when they would get together.

Yugi was sure he was on the top of the hate list of all those who'd placed their bets, especially those who took the bets. After all, Hatake Yami's eyes were glued to him, the moment he'd stepped into the school premise and gotten lost.

And Anzu... just seemed to be forgotten.

Yugi sighed again. Just what was going on? Her resolution was confusing him to no ends.

Finally, he picked up the phone, dialing the numbers for Miho, Anzu's best friend in high school, who also happened to be one of his temple's most frequent customers.

* * *

Street, correct. Building, correct. Apartment number, correct. Timing, incorrect.

Still, as Yugi thanked Anzu's mother for answering the door and letting him know that her daughter was out, he felt rather relieved. He had no idea what had possessed him to look up Anzu personally; it was an impulse that refused to be stomped out after reading the girl's wooden tablet. And the phone call to Miho had only made things even more confusing.

Anzu had been the one to approach Yami. She had been the one to offer Yami a discount for the wedding rings. She had been the one to come up with the conditions. It was the principle of equivalent trade, she had told Miho.

So after getting Anzu's address, Yugi had come down himself. But it was a good thing she was out, for he had no idea what to say to her. Hi, but I thought you were obsessed with my fiancé, so why do you want to give up your feelings for him? That would go really well.

Leaving the building premise, he sighed. It was such an utter waste of time. Maybe he should go visit Jou and help him with his school work.

"Yugi?"

He blinked, gazing upwards; he had been so deep in thoughts he had not even noticed he was walking with his head down. And when he looked up, a girl was standing against the setting sun, its beams lighting up her frame as though a halo or some sort of golden aura. Even so, her sun-kissed locks still kept its dark brown tinge as the wind whispered across them, lifting the stray strands away from her face. She was as pretty as Yugi remembered.

"Anzu?"

Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, she held his gaze.

"Did you come to look for me? I was wondering when you'd turn up, actually. Do you want to sit down and talk somewhere?" she asked.

As unexpected as this meeting was, Yugi thought there would be no better time to talk. He nodded.

* * *

It seemed that black coffee didn't just warm people up. It also chilled people to the bones. Or at least, a chill that spread out in the core of one's being, that refused to fade away even when the warmth of the coffee poured down one's throat.

But there was something strangely addictive about black coffee.

Anzu set her cup down on its saucer again, and pushed it away from the edge of the table. She offered some sugar, and when Yugi declined, she knocked the lid back down and leaned back against the leather cushion seats of the café, her hands clasped.

"I didn't expect you to be the kind who'd drink coffee bitter," she started.

"I didn't expect it myself. But it does balance things out, doesn't it?"

They stared at each other for a long while. The bustling patrons and servers seemed to be out of their world, and it suddenly seemed like they were the only ones in the café. Finally, she broke their gaze.

"I'm sorry... ...for borrowing Yami that day."

Yugi blinked. Out of so many things she could have said, this was one thing he did not expect.

"Borrow?" he echoed.

"Well, he's still yours, isn't he?"

"You'd only meant to... ...'borrow' him for a day?"

"I don't see how I can have him permanently. He's yours now, and from what I've heard, it's going to stay that way. I've heard about your engagement. Congratulations."

"...Thank you," Yugi replied hesitantly, frowning deeply at the way things were going. He'd always known that Anzu was a very accepting kind of person, unlike some girls who would act like a spoilt child with their favourite toy snatched out their hands, but he wasn't sure just how accepting she was of the current situation.

"So when's the wedding?"

"Sometime after I graduate from high school. Yami's suggesting April, but we're not sure yet."

"Well, congratulations again. I'm sure you'd be happy... ...together," she said.

This time, Yugi could not suppress his curiosity.

"What about you? Will you be happy in America?"

She stiffened, and her hand that had been reaching out for her coffee stilled.

"...I saw your New Year resolution in my temple," Yugi confessed. For the first time in years, he felt guilty for going through other people's wooden tablets.

"That was your temple? I'd no idea... I'd always known that you come from a family of priests and priestesses, but I didn't know that was your family's temple..." Her voice sounded so surprised Yugi found no reason to doubt her.

"I was cleaning up the tablets earlier when I saw yours. You're leaving for America?"

"Yeah. I want to go to a dance college there. I've already been accepted. I'll be gone before your wedding."

"Why...?" But why what, Yugi wasn't sure. There were so many things he didn't understand, and so many things he wanted to ask but had no idea what was it he didn't understand.

Then, Anzu shook her head.

"You know what? That's not true. I'm not going to a dance college there. Not full-time, at least. I'm going for a course in jewelry designing there, to carry on my family trade. Dancing is just a part-time thing I'm doing there," Anzu said, her voice growing frosty.

"They won't let me become a dancer."

"They? Who?" Yugi asked.

"My parents. And my fiancé."

Yugi's jaws dropped.

"Fiancé?"

Anzu picked up her cup of coffee and placed it at her lips. But she didn't drink it. After a while, she just put it back onto the saucer.

"My parents believe that it will greatly benefit our family business if I were to marry the heir of the biggest jewelry company in Japan. I got engaged some weeks ago. It's not official yet, but I'll be marrying him when I come back from America."

Yugi was tempted to ask her if she wanted to, but decided not to.

"I don't dislike him, if that's what you're wondering," she said, as though reading his mind. "And he does love me. He's the one who got me the discount for your ring actually, not my parents. My parents listen to his every word."

"Oh."

"He said that that ring is exceptionally beautiful, and it would look gorgeous on Yami's bride. And he promised to design a unique ring for me when we get married. A unique ring for a unique love, he said. He's a really nice man. I suppose I could grow to love him too. But I..." –tears started to form in her eyes- "I just need a bit of time."

Yugi's anger at her had long dissipated like it had never existed, and he sat with her in the sunset café in silence for the rest of the evening.

* * *

Closure.

It was such a simple word. But it also one of the hardest things to have.

Anzu had gotten hers, but at what price? A first and last date with Yami, and a kiss of finality.

Yugi wasn't sure if he'd ever be as brave as her.

He walked down the streets alone after sending her home, bathing in the cool and wispy night air. He didn't feel like going home. Not so soon, at least. And there was something luring, something tempting in the world that night, beckoning for him to stay out. He took another deep breath.

Suddenly, a glimmer caught his eyes, and he found himself captured by the brilliance. He ambled towards the jewelry shop, enraptured by the shimmering diamonds and silver under the harsh, artificial lights. The rings were beautiful, but none as captivating as the one he wore for his fiancé.

"Hi, would you like to come in for a look? We've just had some new designs," a voice to his right said.

Yugi turned, looking at the young man who'd called him. He was dressed in a neat suit with matching leather shoes, his hair styled to utmost perfection with not a strand out of place, and the smell of his cologne wafted in the air. He smelled... fresh.

"No thank you. I was just passing by," Yugi replied, shaking his head gently.

The man smiled.

"Well, it's alright. But if you ever want to buy jewelry, please remember this place. We do custom-made jewelry," he said. Then his eyes homed in on Yugi's ring, and he added, "Ah, like your ring. In fact... ...that one seems to be one of our products."

"My ring?" Yugi took a closer look at his ring, bringing his hand up.

"Ah, yes it is. I believe the store owner's daughter designed it herself. It's her first piece, actually. Her parents wanted to display it in the store, but she insisted on letting a friend have it. Are you her friend?" he asked.

Yugi blinked. Had she...designed it? Slowly, he answered, "Well, not really. I guess the person you're talking about is my fiancé."

"Oh. Then you must be the 'love of his life'. The girl said her friend was getting married to the love of his life, so she wanted them to have a unique ring for a unique love,"he said, not noticing the way Yugi's eyes were widening.

Then, Yugi smiled.

"Is that so? I should really thank her then."

"Well, maybe you'd see her around one day. She'll be the main designer of the jewelry here in a few years. She has to go abroad to study first, you see."

"Ah."

"Well, I gotta go. I don't actually work here. I'm just visiting," he chuckled. "And now I gotta pick something up for my fiancée. She's the girl I was talking about, actually. She's a very sweet girl."

Yugi nodded.

"She must be."

"Oh, she is," the man replied with a wide smile. "Well, bye now!"

And he walked off. Yugi stayed there for a moment longer, casting one last gaze at the display case, before turning the other way and heading home.

* * *

When Yugi got home, he was surprised to see Yami pacing back and forth at the main entrance of the temple, biting his lips and looking everywhere. It was still winter, and from how hard Yami was shivering and how blue his lips were, he had probably been out there for quite a while already. Yami's eyes seemed to light up when they fell on Yugi, and he quickly made his way to his lover.

"Yugi! Where have you been? I tried calling you on your cell phone, but it just wouldn't get through!" he said, teeth chattering.

"God, you're turning blue, Yami! Let's talk in the house," Yugi replied, quickly ushering him inside. When they passed by the living room where jii-chan was watching tv, Yugi thought he heard him mumble how the hopeless idiot was finally willing to come inside, and his mother handed them two mugs of hot chocolate as though she had been long prepared.

Once inside his room, Yugi stuffed his lover under his blanket and coaxed him into drinking the hot chocolate.

"Well, where were you, Yugi? I wanted to talk you out for dinner, but your mum and grandpa said you've been out since early afternoon. And I just couldn't get through your phone. I was almost about to call Kaiba and form a rescue team already, you know?" Yami muttered, pulling the blankets closer.

"Oh, I was just... walking about. Nothing much," Yugi replied as he surreptitiously reached into his pocket, switching on his cell phone. He had switched it off earlier, when he had been with Anzu, to prevent any interruptions, and had forgotten to turn it on again. But he wasn't going to tell Yami that. He had a feeling that Anzu wouldn't want him to know what she'd done for them. Maybe she'd tell Yami herself one day.

And maybe... just maybe... she'd invite them to her wedding. And she'd be happy.

Slowly, Yugi snuck under the covers, wrapping his arms around Yami's torso.

"Yami, stay with me tonight. Don't leave," he breathed.

"Yugi?"

"Just stay with me tonight." And the rest of our lives.

Yami wasn't sure what had brought about the sudden clinginess, but he wasn't one to question his luck.

"Aa." And he returned Yugi's embrace, pulling him closer.

Yugi sighed contentedly.

-owari-

(1): Mentioned in the first chapter of 'My New Year Resolution'.

A/N: This fic is written in response to an anonymous review left for 'My New Year Resolution'. I know that not a lot of people like Anzu, and so when she appeared only in one scene of that fic and kissed Yami, people automatically assumed she's evil, she's malicious and all that. The anonymous review brought the fact that Anzu's very easily misunderstood to my attention, and so I wrote this fic for her to explain things from her perspective.

Personally, I'm neutral towards her except when she duels (I seriously cannot stand her 'cute' deck), and I'm hoping that fans of the YYxY genre will not make her the scapegoat for every bad thing that happens between Yami and Yugi.

Next up: Jounouchi's New Year Resolution. It's his turn with Kaiba!


	4. Jounouchi's New Year Resolution

Title: Jounouchi's New Year Resolution

Author: Sorceress Fantasia

Pairings: K/J, mentioned YY/Y

Warnings: AU, some sap, fluff, humour, OOC-ness

Archive: Finally Fantasia (my homepage)

Disclaimer: If I owned YGO, Yami would confess his everlasting love for Yugi in the first episode and kiss him at least once every episode. However, for those of you who have watched the manga and anime, you'd know that doesn't happen and so in conclusion, I do not own YGO or any of the characters.

Summary: For the longest time, Jounouchi has been trying to get Kaiba away from him. But it seems that that won't be happening anytime soon, especially when his mother decides that Kaiba would be the perfect tutor for his failing grades. And Kaiba just had to happily offer his services, didn't he?

Note: This is my first time writing a Jou and Kaiba fic, so I decided to try a new style of writing this time. Hope it works/crosses fingers/ Please tell me if I'm doing it right! Thanx! R&R very much appreciated!

* * *

It couldn't be. It just couldn't be! No way in hell was it happening!

Why was the answer he got still wrong! It was already the third try, and he was still wrong!

Barely suppressing the urge to go Godzilla and stomp around the room (and maybe spit flames too), Jou slammed his fists on his table. Stupid math homework! Stupid math teacher who assigned math homework over the New Year break! Stupid math teacher who assigned unsolvable, unfathomable, impossible-to-do math homework over the New Year break!

His fury piling up, Jou had to force himself to calm down or risk having to come up with an excuse for the teacher as to why his math textbook was in shreds. Calm down, calm down... Releasing a deep sigh, he tore out the messy sheet of paper in his writing pad and started to redo the sum again.

A few minutes later, he tore the piece of paper into confetti.

"Stupid, balding, jackass, idiotic sensei!"

Before he could go on to scream a string of curses and vulgar language, the door to his room was flung open, and Jou felt an oppressive, evil and manipulative aura overwhelming him from his back. He shivered from the bad vibes. Suddenly, he had an idea who had just opened his door and he laughed nervously. Turning around in his chair, he did a sheepish little wave.

"Hi mom?"

The middle-aged woman at the door shared her son's blonde hair and brown eyes, but the angry gleam in her eye was something her son did not have. And probably something he could not imitate too, since it was the patented 'pissed-off mother' look only mothers knew how to use. Pointing an angry finger at Jou, she hissed, "Don't 'hi mom' me, young man! Not when you were about to scream obscenities!"

Jou almost sweatdropped. Did his mom have a vulgar-language-radar or something? She knew him too well; there was no point denying. So instead, he grinned sheepishly, "Sorry mom, but this..."- he gestured towards the books laid haphazardly across his desk- "is killing my brain cells. Your only son will be dead by tonight from a lack of brain cells if this goes on! So mom... can I stop doing my math homework? Please?" His mom had the patented 'pissed-off mother' look, but he had his trademarked 'poor, kicked-in-the-gut puppy' look.

Round one: 'Pissed-off mother' look versus 'poor, kicked-in-the-gut puppy' look.

Her 'pissed-off mother' look remained intact even after a few minutes, and she continued to stare her son down. Jou tried to keep up, but suddenly, his left eyelid twitched, and his entire 'poor, kicked-in-the-gut puppy' lookwas ruined.

"If you want to have no allowance, a curfew, no clubbing and no lunch for the next 6 months, then yes."

Game over.

He laughed nervously. "I'll get right back to it." And he quickly spun his chair around and grabbed his pen again.

His mother sighed. "Katsuya, I know it's difficult, but you have to do it. It's for your future."

His eyebrow twitched. For his future? He was going to scream and tear his hair off while trying and failing to complete mathematical sums in the future? He was going to earn his living (and go bald in the process) doing math? Suddenly, Jou wanted to commit suicide and save himself the misery. And the headlines for tomorrow's papers would go: Teen commits suicide over math homework. Then, parents all over Japan would finally understand the stress of being a math student and exert pressure on the ministry of education. Psychologists would step in, agreeing that yes, abstract math was too stressful on the average student. The society would then examine whether students, unless they wanted to become mathematicians, really needed abstract math in their future. In the end, the ministry of education would decide that there was no need for abstract math in school and abolish it! Jou could just see himself worshipped by all the math students in Japan...

"Katsuya! Are you listening to me?"

He jumped. "Yes mom!"

She frowned, but let it slide. "So in order to save your brain cells, as you've said so yourself, I've decided to get a tutor for you."

"Tutor? But mom, it's expensive!"

"Well, this tutor was highly recommended by your sister, and he's willing to help for free..." She shrugged.

Jou blinked, cocking his head to the side. For free? And Shizuka recommended him?

"Actually, he's already here. He just went to the washroom for a moment..." she trailed off, looking to the side. Then, she seemed to have found him, for she broke into a gleeful smile and said, "Ah, there you are! Come, come! Katsuya's here! Oh, I've no idea what to do to him! He's just so bad at math! Please do help him out!"

Jou remained in his seat, still wondering who was so nice as to help him out for free. Could it be Yugi? No, no, it was unlikely. His mom knew Yugi, so there was no need to go through Shizuka. Besides, Yugi was still wallowing happily in his pre-marital bliss, skipping and floating on cloud nine everyday. And Yami was just as bad; it was as though after the engagement, Yami began living on Yugi instead of on air. So it couldn't be either of them. Who else was there?

"Don't worry, Mrs. Jounouchi. I will do my best." It was a deep, male voice, and it soundly vaguely familiar...

His mother was acting like a love-struck teenage girl, giggling insanely and sending love vibes everywhere. She always had a soft spot for young gentlemen. Jou shivered as she ushered the tutor into the room. And once she did, Jou started to yell, flailing his arms like a young girl trying to ward off a flying bug.

"Kaiba? What are you doing in my house? In my room?"

Kaiba Seto only gave him a warm (if not a little conniving and scheming) smile, and stepped inside gracefully. He almost looked innocent, if it wasn't for the sly gleam in his eyes. "Why, I'm just the tutor your sister recommended."

"What the-?"

"Language, young man, language," his mother warned.

"But mom, you can't be serious, asking Kaiba to be my tutor! He'll... He'll molest me! He'll make me gay! And you wouldn't want that, would you? I mean, you do want to have a grandson right? To carry on our family line? Shizuka can't do that; she'll take on her husband's family name when she gets married! So yeah, it's not a good idea to have Kaiba be my tutor. And-"

She raised an eyebrow. "But Katsuya, you are gay, aren't you? So you aren't going to give me a grandson anyway."

He choked, but he quickly turned to glare angrily at Kaiba who was trying very hard to stifle his laughter.

"And I believe Kaiba-kun will be the perfect gentleman. After all, your sister recommended him, and I trust Shizuka," she stated flatly, leaving no rooms for argument. But it wasn't as if there was going to be one. Kaiba was more than happy at the turn of events, and Jou was still trying to find his voice. So no one objected (or was able to, at any rate) when she added, "Now, I'll leave you boys to do your math homework. Be nice, Katsuya, or no allowance! And Kaiba-kun?"

"Yes, Mrs. Jounouchi?"

"Please take good care of my son. I'm leaving him in your care now," she said, and Jou could swear he saw a conniving gleam in her eyes, matching the one Kaiba was sporting.

Round two: 'Scheming mother' look versus 'on-the-verge-of-tears puppy' look.

Stare.

Stare.

Twitch.

...Game over again.

"Of course, Mrs. Jounouchi," Kaiba said respectfully, even giving a little bow.

Impressed, she gave them one last wink, and closed the door behind her.

Finally, after a long moment of silence, Jou glowered at the person responsible for all his misery again. He was almost giving off a blazing, murderous aura, but Kaiba was completely unfazed. He was a shrewd businessman, after all, and was used to seeing all sorts of things, including angry puppies. Cutely angry puppies.

"What," Jou hissed, "did you bribe Shizuka with?"

Kaiba was still smiling that warm and conniving smile. "VIP tickets for her favorite singer's national concert next month. And a backstage pass. You know how much she wants to go, don't you? Mokuba told me that she cried buckets when she didn't manage to get the tickets in time and they were all sold out. She was so ecstatic when I passed her the tickets. She's very, very, very happy."

"...Rich bastard."

* * *

"You're doing it right up to this part, but see, you have to sub in the formula here to get the value for x. And with the value of x, you sub it back here," –he pointed at the writing pad- "and you will be able to get the value for y. Try it."

Grudgingly, Jou canceled the second half of his answer and redid it with Kaiba's method. It was irritating, but Jou could not deny that the brunette was a very efficient and patient tutor. Most of his friends gave up by the time he messed up the tenth sum; even though Yugi would still be willing to help him after that, their other friends would drag Yugi off, claiming that it was unhealthy to stay and try to help Jou with math. But now, after the fifteenth sum and numerous mistakes later, Kaiba was still there. And not one hint of anger. Frustration maybe, but definitely no anger.

"Ah, a mistake here. You multiplied the numbers instead of dividing it," Kaiba said softly.

Jou quickly made the necessary changes.

Kaiba was a really strange person. Although the brunette was always trying to ask him out, he never sounded serious. If anything, all those endearments he used like 'puppy' and 'honey' made him sound like a flirt more than anything else. So why was he spending so much time and effort (and brain cells) to help Jou on his math homework? For free? And from what Yami had told him before, Kaiba never dated seriously. Period. End of story.

"Wait. When you move the minus sign to the other side of the equation, it becomes an addition sign."

Strike out. Redo. More mistakes. Strike out again. Redo for the third time.

As the CEO of the highly successful Kaiba Corporation, Kaiba probably had more money than he could ever spend in his entire lifetime. Maybe that explained why the man had a private jet, several helicopters, 7 limos and 2 sports cars. Not to mention the multitude of servants, butlers, chauffeurs, chefs and who knew what else in his gigantic mansion. And on top of that, he was also one of the most respected people in Domino City for his power, wealth and shrewd business acumen.

Jou always got depressed whenever he compared himself to Kaiba. What did he have? An apartment that was probably smaller than Kaiba's living room, one bicycle (losing one wheel and sporting a malfunctioning brake), one hell of a debt (they were still scraping to pay the rest of Shizuka's hospital bills) one scheming mother and an easily bribed sister. He wanted to cry.

But the bottom line, if there was one, was that there was no way Kaiba was really interested in him when they were so far apart in family background. And not to mention Kaiba could have almost anyone (dead people were an exception) he wanted. Jou still remembered reading an article in the local papers (one perk of his part-time job distributing papers was that he got to peek at the headlines first) that Kaiba had just dumped a supermodel recently, even though Kaiba had denied it profusely.

So there was no need to take Kaiba's request for dates seriously. There was no way he was sincere about them anyway.

Ah, he finally completed the sum with the correct answer. And he managed it on the fifth try. New record. Moving on now...

Just when Jou was trying to figure out if the question was asking him to find out the value or x or yz or even the entire alphabet, Kaiba spoke.

"You know, I heard about it from Shizuka."

"About what?" Was there something wrong with the question? What did the alphabet have to do with the length of a bridge?

"About her hospital bills. She said that your family's still working to pay it off."

"So?"

"So I have an offer for you."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I don't take charity, Kaiba." He tightened his grip on his pen.

Kaiba shook his head. "No, not charity. It's not my forte, and I know you better than that. What I have for you, Jou, is a job offer."

His pen stilled, and he looked up with narrowed eyes. "What job?"

"A job with great perks, lots of benefits and high pay. You can take the day off whenever you want, and you get to decide what perks and benefits you want." Kaiba was smirking in a very peculiar way, and it wasn't a good thing. The last time he had sported such a smirk, he made Mokuba, who had been visiting them in school to deliver something to Kaiba, to call him 'brother-in-law' in front of his entire class. Nobody ever forgot that one, and even today, 2 years later, Jou could still hear barely veiled whispers of 'Kaiba-senpai's fiancé' (1) in the school corridors. Even the teachers, whom Jou thought would never join in the ridiculous teasing, started to call him Kaiba-kun's little boyfriend. Jou finally understood how bad the situation was when he passed by the principal in the school corridor, and the principal said, "Ah, so you're our star pupil's boyfriend?"

Jou had to stop himself from maiming the old man, who then gave him a fatherly pat on the back and added, "It's good to settle down early, you know? And Kaiba-kun is a very good choice for a husband."

So it was only normal for the blonde to be wary of Kaiba's job offer, especially when it sounded so good. "So what job is it?"

His wariness rocketed to a completely new level when the brunette smirked wider.

"My boyfriend."

Jou choked.

"Don't like it? Fiancé then. Or do you want husband?"

He choked harder, but Kaiba didn't seem to notice.

"Let me explain the terms and conditions of the contract. You see, once we start dating –or engaged or married; your choice- I'll shower you with presents and gifts, so that's where the perks come from. As for the benefits, you'll see it once we date. Chauffeured rides in limos everyday and everywhere, chefs preparing your bentos (2) and meals, and I can even send some of my servants here to clean up your house. I'll throw in expensive holidays too."

Kaiba was still smirking seriously, and he could have gone on if not for the pillow in his face, courtesy of Jou.

"Terms and conditions? Contract? Do you think this is some sort of business deal?"

Kaiba blinked for a moment. "I must have gotten too used to reading contracts... It's all I've been reading and writing lately..." he muttered. "But Jou, I'm serious about this. I do want to be your boyfriend. Or fiancé. Or husband."

Jou thought he couldn't be any more livid. A flame was blazing inside his stomach, and how he wanted to spit it out and burn something! Preferably, Kaiba and his so-called serious matter. If there really was a document on this, by the gods, he was going to tear it, shred it, burn it and make Kaiba eat it.

"You call this serious? This? Go to hell!"

The brunette was still unfazed. "Hell? I've been there before, but it's not any fun without you there, so I came back."

Jou was about to pull out his hair. He forced himself to stop it because he did not want be bald before he even turned 20, and went back to glaring at Kaiba in the eyes. "Look, Kaiba. We both know you're not serious. You're rich; I'm poor. You're clever; I'm not. You'll go on to build up your business empire, settle down with a rich lady, get a horde of kids, and then when you have grandchildren, you can tell them about the stupid blonde guy you used to tease back in your high school days as you bounce them on your knees. And me? Scrip and scrape by all my life, get married to an equally poor woman and get just as downtrodden kids. Or maybe I won't even be able to afford to get married!

"So that's that. You and I have our different paths in life, and they don't cross. So stop trying to flirt with me! You know it can't be serious!"

Kaiba was so silent for a moment Jou thought he had finally gotten his point across. Blessed silence, yes... and Kaiba was probably never going to bother him again. Even though Jou was probably going to miss having the exceptionally handsome and intelligent man hovering over him, it was for the better.

Then, Kaiba spoke.

"Jou, please don't confuse cost and value. They're different. Completely different. Like the wedding ring Yami got Yugi; it may not cost very much, but its value is much more than just the numbers on the price tag. What costs little may mean a lot to some. It's the same with people. Jou, you may not be rich, but you mean a lot to your friends... ...and to me. Your value... it cannot be estimated. You are priceless to me."

This time, Jou could not help the warm blush blossoming on his face. "But... But society doesn't always think that way! You're the CEO of Kaiba Corporations, and I'm just a normal kid saving up for college and can't even pay his sister's hospital bills!"

"Jou..." –he smiled gently- "I don't think I've ever told anybody, but I'm not the real heir to Kaiba Corporations. I'm just an adopted son. My adoptive father had no children then, and he was worried that he wouldn't have an heir. So he adopted me from an orphanage. But his wife had Mokuba later."

"Wha... What?"

"Mokuba's the true heir. Right now, I'm just taking care of the company until he comes of age, and I can pass it to him. So in a way, I guess, I'm just the same as you. Just a teenager eking out a living on his own..." Kaiba smiled resignedly. "So Jou, don't say that you're poor and I'm rich. It's just a temporary situation. Once Mokuba takes his rightful place, I'll be back at square one.

"So don't reject me on the basis of our family backgrounds. Don't reject me unless you really don't like me."

Those words were so sincere, so earnest, that Jou could not help but blush. And when he noticed Kaiba's heated gaze, his blush went from a speckled dust of flush to a bright scarlet that engulfed his entire face. His heard was pounding.

"...Jou?"

The blonde bit his bottom lips and looked away, averting the intense gaze. He didn't dislike Kaiba. How could he, really? Not when Kaiba was such an attractive and charismatic man. The brunette had caught his eyes the first day he stepped into the school with Yugi, giving orders to the student body as the head of the freshmen welcome community, a position he took after losing a bet to Yami. But that day, Jou could not see the loser of a bet. All he saw was the most charismatic and charming man welcoming him to their high school.

But that wasn't the first time he had seen Kaiba. No, he had first seen Kaiba in a popular student magazine (3), coming in for the second place for 'the most popular student' (high school section). Yami had taken the first place, but Jou did not notice him. His eyes stopped at Kaiba's picture, and from there on, could not leave him. And when it was time for Jou to choose a high school, he had persuaded Yugi to change their choices together, and go to the one Kaiba went to instead.

Jou never thought anything more about it though. He never thought about dating Kaiba or even becoming his friend. All he wanted, was to see Kaiba. That was all he wanted.

Kaiba noticing him (mostly because Yami had a crush on Yugi, his best friend), hitting on him... all those were things he had never expected.

_I like you. _

"I... I don't... I don't not like you."

Jou's answer wasn't a lot, but he knew it was enough for now when Kaiba took his hand and gave it a tight squeeze.

* * *

Two weeks later, Jou and Kaiba had struck up what Yugi and Yami said was a 'tentative dating relationship'. The two had gone on a total of 4 dates together (even though Jou claimed that they were just 'chilling together' and not 'dating'), and Kaiba had eaten dinner over at Jou's house for quiet a few times. Mrs. Jounouchi welcomed him immensely, saying that he was just what her son just needed. Shizuka also called him 'brother-in-law' whenever Jou wasn't around to scream bloody murder. On the other hand, Jou had also visited Kaiba's house several times, even though he got embarrassed when some of the female servants would swoon and request the couple to pose together. They were such shounen-ai fans...

And it was one of those days when Jou was over at Kaiba's mansion, hiding in Mokuba's room from the fan girls, when they would have their first couple argument.

"Mokie?"

The young boy looked up from his book, blinking his wide, black eyes. When his movement caused a lock of his thick black hair to obstruct his view, he gave it a careless swipe, but he was still looking at Jou through his jagged, almost shaggy, bangs. He really didn't anything like Seto.

"Yes, Jou?"

"You know... Mokie... when you grow older... you should take care of your elder brother, yeah?"

Mokuba cocked his head sideways. "Of course I will. What gave you the idea that I wouldn't?"

"Ah! No! Nothing!" Jou denied profusely, flailing his arms. "Just well... erm... You know, even if Seto's not your real brother, you should still be nice to him. There's no reason you shouldn't, really..."

This time, Mokuba looked at him intently. "Jou... what are you talking about? Nii-sama's not my real brother?"

Jou thought he really shouldn't have said anything. When would he ever learn to keep his big mouth shut?

"Jou, I have no idea what gave you that idea, but rest assured that nii-sama and I are brothers related by blood. We were born from the same parents. We were even adopted together by the same guy from an orphanage. So if by any chance you got the wrong information and thought that nii-sama was adopted and I wasn't..."

Jou felt a vein burst in his head. The fire was blazing in his stomach again.

"KAIBA SETO!"

And all the birds that had been taking a rest on the roof of the Kaiba mansion jumped and quickly flew away.

* * *

Back in his study room, Kaiba was still fingering the wooden tablet he had filched off Yugi who had been too distracted by Yami to pay him much attention. A few words were written on the tablet in an untidy scrawl, but Kaiba liked it.

It read: I resolve to be nicer to Kaiba. – Jounouchi Katsuya

-owari-

A/N: BTW, if anyone's wondering, Kaiba's New Year resolution was: Do whatever it takes to date Jou.

(1) Senpai: It means 'senior' in Japanese.

(2) Bento: Japanese lunch boxes.

(3) Student magazines: I read about this in a manga, where there was a magazine that circulated among students about the area's schools. Of course, they had a poll inside about the most popular students too.


End file.
